Conservatives representing Francophone communities urged to stand up for bilingualism

Conservatives representing Francophone communities urged to stand up for bilingualism

New Democrat MP Yvon Godin calling on Conservative MPs to support his bill on bilingual Supreme Court judges

On the eve of an important vote on a bill that would require all Supreme Court judges to be bilingual, New Democrat MP Yvon Godin (Acadie-Bathurst) is urging Conservative MPs who have Francophone communities in their ridings to join his cause.

“By requiring future Supreme Court judges to be bilingual, we can ensure that French-speakers across Canada have equal standing before the highest court in the country,” explained Godin. “For Parliamentarians with significant French-speaking populations in their ridings, this vote should be a no-brainer.”

This is not the first time Godin has tried to ensure the bilingual nature of the Supreme Court. Before the last election, Conservative Senators dragged their feet after the bill had already been adopted in the House – leaving it to die on the Order Paper when the election was called.

“This is a great opportunity for Conservative MPs to show their constituents that they are defending their interests in Ottawa, and not just blindly following orders from the Prime Minister’s Office,” added Godin. “Francophones across the country will be on the lookout tomorrow to see who is standing up for their rights. I hope this will include at least some Conservative MPs.”